It is on cold snowy Wyoming days that I really start to think about the warmth of the sun. When you are standing out in the sun, feeling the warmth, seeing it's light, are you ever tempted to over analyze the moment? I'm kind of a nerd, so I start to think about things like "Am I enjoying the warmth and light of the sun or am I enjoying the warmth and the light of the rays that have traveled in a little over 8 seconds from the sun to the earth?" The obvious answer is... Yes. The rays of the sun are the sun. They are the only way that I can interact with the sun. They perfectly represent the sun to me. The rays are the radiance of the sun.
This imagery really helps me understand what is being said about Jesus in Hebrews 1:3 "He is the radiance of the glory of God..." Jesus is the only way for us to interact with God and he says so in John 14:6. He is so connected to the Father that to know him is to know the father and to see him is to see the father. To feel the warmth and see the light of Jesus is to feel the warmth and see the light of the Father.
A few weeks ago I was really entertained to watch my four year old daughter examining a ray of light shining into our living room and illuminating a column of dust particles floating about in the air. Try as she may, she was unable to catch one or at least to make visual confirmation of her success. That reminded me of C.S. Lewis illustration of the dark shed with such a light coming through a crack in the wood. He mentions that many people are content to to experience Jesus like we experience that ray of light. We sit on the outside and are amused for a while at what it illuminates in the darkness but are never really able to lay hold of it or to understand it. If, however, you will get in the light and turn to look at its source, the glory of the sun will be blinding. Similarly, if we will get in Jesus personally and follow him back to the Father, you will be amazed at the brightness of His intense glory.
My hope and prayer for the reader of this blog is that you will not be content with running your hand through the beam of light, but that you would come into Jesus and look back to the Father through him today. May God blind you with his glory, you won't need to see anything else again.
This imagery really helps me understand what is being said about Jesus in Hebrews 1:3 "He is the radiance of the glory of God..." Jesus is the only way for us to interact with God and he says so in John 14:6. He is so connected to the Father that to know him is to know the father and to see him is to see the father. To feel the warmth and see the light of Jesus is to feel the warmth and see the light of the Father.
A few weeks ago I was really entertained to watch my four year old daughter examining a ray of light shining into our living room and illuminating a column of dust particles floating about in the air. Try as she may, she was unable to catch one or at least to make visual confirmation of her success. That reminded me of C.S. Lewis illustration of the dark shed with such a light coming through a crack in the wood. He mentions that many people are content to to experience Jesus like we experience that ray of light. We sit on the outside and are amused for a while at what it illuminates in the darkness but are never really able to lay hold of it or to understand it. If, however, you will get in the light and turn to look at its source, the glory of the sun will be blinding. Similarly, if we will get in Jesus personally and follow him back to the Father, you will be amazed at the brightness of His intense glory.
My hope and prayer for the reader of this blog is that you will not be content with running your hand through the beam of light, but that you would come into Jesus and look back to the Father through him today. May God blind you with his glory, you won't need to see anything else again.
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